Big Brother and Little Brother
by Suitslover14
Summary: When Mike feels ill at the office while recovering from the flu Harvey takes care of him. Fluffy one-shot.


**A/N Sorry I haven't updated anything recently Spring break has been crazy. Anyway to make up for it I just wrote a one-shot. It's pretty long, I only meant it to be 2,000 words but it ended up being almost 5,000. Woops. I hope you like it. I apologize if any of the characters seem OOC. Please read and review!**

I just can't fight off the dizziness. It's engulfing me, chewing me and spitting me out. But I can't just leave, Harvey would kill me. He would go to my house and shoot me. I groaned, trying to be quiet but my head was killing me. Harvey glared at me but his face softened when he saw me half slumped on the glass table. We were in a conference room that was bland and boring. Beige walls enclosed pale red carpet and a glass conference table surrounded by black chairs. I knew I was sick, I had the flu for the past week but I had somehow managed to hide it from Harvey. Now I was on the mend but I still felt like road kill. I zoned out Jessica's presentation on whatever law-crap we needed to know this time, Harvey had only brought me along because he didn't trust Louis not to bombard me with paper and try to steal me the second he left a room. I groaned a bit louder this time as the beige walls mixed with the red carpets and the world started to swirl. This time it caught Harvey's full attention and he turned toward me. He grabbed his fancy ballpoint pen and he wrote something on the paper. Had I been feeling better I would have been able to determine what the note had said before he sent it by watching his hand but that took concentration and all my concentration was on not passing out. My eyes slipped closed but reopened when something hit me in the head. Jessica missed all this because her back was turned and all the senior partners were too focused to care.

Composing myself I unfolded the yellow lined paper and quickly read Harvey's note written in a messy scrawl. It was sloppy and loopy from a quick jot as he emptied his questions on paper.

What happened to you? Did you fall off that death trap you call a bike? Or did you just drink too much if that red bull crap you swear by. Why did you come in today? You look like shit and that won't reflect well on me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the reflecting on me comment. The short read made my head swim and I was fighting hard to clear the black dots in my vision. I lifted my head and gave Harvey a questioning look. He shrugged and mouthed write back. I did roll my eyes this time but instantly regretted it as it made my head throb even more. I doubled over in pain and fell out of my chair. I made a soft thud as I hit the ground and Harvey bolted out of his chair. His brown eyes wide, he raised a hand to shush Jessica's questions at the interruptions. He tried to uncurl me from the ball I had curled up into but I swatted at his hands. That pissed him off and he grabbed my wrists while turning me on my back. The lights flooded my vision and I shut my eyes trying to dilute the brightness.

"Jesus Mike, what's wrong? Don't you fall asleep on me! Donna will kill me when she finds out I let you work when you are sick. Do I need to call an ambulance?" Harvey questioned harshly, as if I was a criminal and not his beloved associate.

"I'm fine, just dizzy." I panted, my fuzzy brain too slow to form a complete sentence.

"Yeah Mike because fine people collapse for no reason during a conference. " I couldn't see Harvey because I had my eyes closed but I could hear the annoyance seeping into his voice and the faint hints of concern.

"I just need to lie down. And I didn't collapse, I never lost consciousness. I just fell to the ground and writhed in pain." I tried to argue but it fell short. Sounding worse than collapsing, I sighed and opened my eyes. Harvey's brown eyes held a concerned twinkle and his eyebrows were furrowed.

Grunting in response, Harvey held out a hand and lifted me to my feet. I shut my eyes at the unwelcome dizziness. My legs almost went out from underneath me but I was being supported by something solid. Wait… not something, someone. _Harvey_. His name bounced around in my brain and I straightened out before removing my hand from my floppy, blonde hair and opening my blue eyes.

"You okay to move?" Harvey asked in a soft yet unwavering voice. I nodded and slowly-with every senior's partner's eyes making me anxious-we headed to Harvey's couch.

"You know you could've asked for a day off instead of reenacting the president from Independence Day when the alien messed with his mind." Harvey mumbled, trying to lighten the mood.

"That makes you the president's bodyguards that killed the alien by shooting him." I replied, going along with our weird conversation.

"Yeah well your wife dies in that movie so be grateful that this really isn't Independence Day. Wouldn't want to lose Jenny, would we?" Harvey replied, shooing off a concerned red-headed secretary and lowering me onto his brown, leather couch.

I stared out at the skyline through his glass walls in his office. For a moment it distracted me from the ruthless pain. But then Donna spoke and I whipped around to find her sitting on Harvey's desk and admiring his baseballs.

"What's wrong, puppy? Did someone forget to give you your medicine?" Donna asked, her voice showing humor but her brown eyes holding her concern.

"No, and I am not a puppy. I had the flu last week and I am getting better but my head is giving me hell. I think it wants to get back at me for making it work so hard and reading fine print while I was sick." I answered, too tired and my head throbbing too much to come up with a smart ass remark at the time-or realize that I had admitted to being sick after hiding it for so long.

"Mmmm puppy's got a bite with his bark." Donna said, moving to the couch and running a hand through my blonde hair.

I sat there while Donna assessed me. Her wittiness fading into a maternal instinct, she put a cool hand on my still flushed forehead and checked for any injuries caused by the fall. With a condescending tsk she told Harvey to track down a thermometer and laid me down on the couch. I heard her heels clicking through the hallway as she left and I sat up as soon as they faded. Pushing away the nausea, I glanced around the familiar office. I mulled over the details of my sickness over the last week and how I had been able to keep it hidden. There had only been a few close calls. One time was when I came into work with a 103 fever and had to lock myself into the file room until my delirium had settled down. There was also a time when I had bolted out of the conference room and had barely made it to the restroom before passing out. Luckily for me Kyle was running that seminar and hated me. It had been a long 4 hours in the bathroom before I was strong enough to bike home.

I am so lost in thoughts that I miss the patters of nice shoes entering an office and the deep, gruff voice of my boss talking to me. Jumpy and tired, I bolted to a standing position when his hand made contact. The blood rushed to my ears and I felt lightheaded before I crumpled to the ground, unknown to the panicked demeanor of the usually and unnaturally cool Harvey Specter.

….

Why didn't he tell me? I may not have listened at first but he seemed miserable and if he thinks for one second he fooled me last week he's wrong. I knew he was sick and Donna was constantly spying on him. He seemed fine though, on the mend, nothing sleep wouldn't fix. So we kept Louis off of him and restricted the number of files we gave him and made sure that he didn't pull any all nighters. Then we go to that conference and suddenly he's collapsed on the ground gripping his head like it would fall off any second. So I had pushed my fear down and helped him to my office. I'm not a very caring person and Marcus, my little brother, is the only person I had ever taken care of. Donna had directed me to locate a thermometer so I tracked down Louis.

"Louis, you are a germaphob right?" I asked, taunting Louis into listening to me.

"What do you want Harvey?" Louis replied in his all too deep and all too serious voice.

"I need a thermometer and I know that you have at least 5 of them because as I said before you are a freak about germs." My tone was cocky and Louis just huffed in reply before shoving a thermometer in my hands and shutting me out of his office.

Once outside, I walked as fast as a professional would, my heels pattering across the soft beige carpet and my hair coming a bit undone from the draft. I slicked my blonde hair back again and turned into my office where Mike was sitting up on my brown, leather couch.

"Mike, you really should be lying down." I growled, annoyance at his disobedience to my orders ruling my voice. He didn't respond, still sitting there and starring off into space, his blue eyes blank. Donna entered the room and flashed me a nervous look upon seeing the same thing. Telling my red-headed assistant to back off I walked behind the blonde-haired associate and tried again.

"Mike, You with us?" I asked my voice softer and lighter as I attempted not to scare my associate. Again, I got no reaction; I figured I needed a more physical approach. Shuffling closer I reached over and tapped Mike on the shoulder.

Frightened and out of it, Mike bolted upwards off of the couch, swayed, and crumpled into a head at the base of the couch.

"Oh my god Mike, come on Mike open your eyes. Mike I need you to look at me. Mike wake up or you're fired!" I tried to wake my unconscious associate but to no avail; his blue eyes remained closed and his pale body didn't move.

Turning to Donna I wanted to ask what she wanted me to do but she was already gone. Scooping up Mike I laid his light and lean body on the couch and headed out the door. Donna was already coming back with a bowl of cool water and a washcloth. I welcomed her back in, accepting her nod as a sorry for leaving without a sound.

"He, he collapsed. Donna what do we do? I thought he was better but then he was on the ground in the conference room and he bolted off the couch. Oh God, his face… it was so pale. I thought he stopped breathing for a moment but I don't know. Will he be okay? Donna?" I rambled, losing my cool. She just waved me off and started her own explanation.

"He'll be fine, Harvey. He just worked too hard while he was still recovering. He'll be fine we just need to let him sleep. Now I'm going to go run out and grab some supplies why don't you keep an eye on him, maybe put on a record to help calm down. I'll be back." Donna reassured, grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

_ I'm not quite sure if I can handle this_ I thought before sucking it up and hunkering down to a long night.

….

_Voices, I hear voices. There are two, one is deep and soothing, the other frantic and high-pitched, I wish that the high-pitched one would stop talking, it was making my head hurt. Wait, there's only one voice now. Maybe the other person left. Where am I? It feels like I'm on a couch, it feels like leather. What happened? There was a meeting and I had a headache, didn't I collapse? I think Harvey led me back here. No he wouldn't do that he doesn't care. Who's shaking me? Can't they see that I want to sleep? Maybe if I focus I can go back to the blissful state of unawareness. I think I just heard my name, it must be my imagination. No, there it is again. Should I acknowledge it? I guess I should probably get up. Harvey will kill me if he finds me sleeping on the job. But then again Harvey isn't here…._

…_._

Slowly, painfully, I pried my eyes open to find myself alone with Harvey. He looked so worried, almost panicked. He didn't seem to notice that I was awake because he was still at his desk, his eyes showing the raging war going on in his mind. I wondered what it could be about but then realized it had to be about me. Who doesn't freak out when their associate passes out?

"Harvey?" I croaked, my voice cracking from hours of no use. His head shot up and panic shone in his eyes before changing to relief.

His face broke into an easy smile as he strode to sit next to me on the couch. I sat up, clutching my head as a new wave of nausea and dizziness hit me. I winced when Harvey settled on the couch and he must have noticed because he muttered a soft apology. I noticed for the first time that Harvey had a record playing in the background and the slow hum of jazz filled my ears, making me perk up a bit.

"How ya feeling?" Harvey asked, his voice harmonizing with the soothing jazz.

"I'm tired and dizzy but I'm feeling better than last week." I sleepily answered, my eyes going wide at the realization of my sudden slip. "W-well I just mean…. Allergies were bad and they were just…."

"Mike, Donna and I knew you were sick. I had her checking up on you for a week and we kept Louis off of you. We even made sure you didn't pull any all nighters." Harvey stated, causing my mouth to drop open. I never realized that they were basically stalking me. But pride swelled up in my chest at the reality that I had someone who cared about me enough to check up on me.

"Thank you, Harvey. I really appreciate that. Do you think that I could head home for the day?" I yawned, my exhaustion setting in and my eyelids starting to drop from imminent sleep.

"No, sorry bud but that's not happening." I started to argue but Harvey shot me a look and continued talking. "We are going to meet Donna at my place and you are going to rest."

I smiled, happy that I didn't have to go back to my ratty old apartment but could go be with my new found family. Harvey helped me up and we wobbled our way to the car where I fell into a restful and peaceful slumber with Harvey keeping a loving eye on me.

…

I smiled at the sight of my slumbering associate next to me in the black limo. He looked so young when he was sleeping. The pure innocence, vulnerability, lighting his features and making him look no older than 15. More out of instinct that choice I ran my hand through his floppy, dirty blonde hair. His face softened at the touch and I had a flashback to my little brother Marcus when he was sick. Same expression when I ran my hand through his dark, almost black, brown curls. The way his green eyes lit up and the easy smile when he woke up to me showing my only caring side. My small smile lit up into a wide grin at the memory and I looked outside to the busy city streets. It was early spring and every corner was occupied with New Yorkers itching to be in the first warmth of the year. I asked Ray to roll down my window to wash over Mike and me.

"Will you stop staring at me like that? I feel like any second you are going to ask me 'do you know where I got these scars' after pulling a knife out of your briefcase." Mike mumbled. I had to hand it to this kid, even sick he seemed to relate everything to a witty and humorous movie quote.

"Sorry, it's just you remind me so much of my little brother." I confessed, feeling like he earned a little insight into my life. "He is around your age and the only person I have ever taken care of."

"Oh. W-will you tell me more about him?" Mike asked, pushing up into a less slouched positioned and his eyes brightening with hope.

"Sure Mike let's see where should we start? He is 5ft 9 and we never let him live that down he has dark brown hair that is always on the edge of being curly. So I guess that makes it wavy. He loves sci-fi movies and was the one who got me into Star Trek; he sucks at baseball but always tried for me. He works up in Boston as the editor of The Boston Globe. He is the only family that I have, my dad being gone and my Mom died when I was 6 and he was 3. Oh yeah, he's younger than me." I explained, a warm feeling flowing through me at the talk of my brother, but yet a protectiveness overwhelming me about Mike. He really was starting to be like my little brother. And the odd thing was I loved that feeling, that knowing that Mike was my "little brother"

"He sounds like a perfect brother. I would love to have a brother, I'm so lonely. I just guess that Jenny is the only person I have. Well her and my Grammy but I am constantly afraid of that day where I-I get _the_ call." Mike babbled, his voice breaking at the part of _the call_. My heart broke seeing him so vulnerable like this and I just hoped that soon he would realize that he didn't only have Jenny and Grammy but also Donna and me.

"He really was. There was this one time when I was 15 and trying to get a girl to go out with me. He…" I stopped, chuckling softly at the newly remembered memory "He bought a lollypop and walked up to her and gave it to her. He looked her straight in the eye, his green eyes pleading and doe- like and asked if she liked me. She blushed so hard; it looked like her face was a tomato. Then she turned and said 'pick me up at 8'. The second she left, he high-fived me and told me I owed him big time. I miss seeing him as often as we used to."

"He's amazing." The awed voice of Mike squeaked from my right shoulder where his head was resting and he was desperately trying to stay awake.

"He was. Okay bud, we're home." I said, motioning to get up and waiting anxiously for the moment Mike realized it was my home we were at.

…

I was drowsy when Harvey dragged me up into his apartment-which I didn't know was his apartment until he told me to sit on the couch and it wasn't where my couch usually was. He stuck a thermometer in my ear and I was too tired to try to swat it away. All the work, the pretending, all the covering up that I was sick had drained me. And now I didn't even have enough fight to swat away a hand taking my temperature. I'm pathetic. Harvey must have seen this pity or dread or whatever my big blue eyes were conveying because he asked me what was wrong and ran his large hand that smelled of spicy cologne through my hair.

I couldn't answer; emotion welled up inside me, sticking the words in my throat like peanut butter. Big, salty tears flooded my cheeks, burning them and stinging my eyes. I didn't know where it was coming from until Harvey picked me up and started rubbing circles on my back-awkwardly, as if he was afraid of doing the wrong thing. Then I knew what was wrong. It had been what was wrong with my life since I was 11; it was what had driven me to live with my Grammy and what caused me to dig out the photo of my parents when they were married. I missed my parents; they had been swept away too soon. By a drunk driver, if only he had decided to walk I wouldn't be alone, without parents. But that was exactly what was bugging me now. Harvey was taking care of me and he reminded me so much of my father. The same chocolate brown eyes and easy smile that came when he was truly happy, not putting on a front for a client or an act to please Donna when she was pissed. But that realization only made me weep harder and that made Harvey panic. He left, bolting into the bathroom and leaving me in a wet ball of tears on the expensive Italian sofa.

I tried to dry my eyes and count things around the room. Numbers always calmed me down but I got caught up in the beautiful scenery of his apartment. The black sofa I was occupying lay in a forest green room. A flat screen TV being the focal point and a glass coffee table there to place cold beers or your cell phone; alongside each corner there were 3 lamps around the room, each identical with a black trim and cone shaped light. Soft, brown carpeting cushioned my feet as I got up on wobbling legs and went to the mini fridge to grab a bottle of water. Exhausted from the sudden release of emotions I curled up on the ground next to the mini fridge, too tired to walk to the sofa and drifted off into peaceful sleep still clutching the cool water bottle at my side.

…

I left him. Disappeared when he needed me most. I bolted, into the bathroom, in front of him while he was in tears. I hung my head in my hands, silently cursing myself for the way I acted. I've always prided myself on being strong, invincible when really all it took was a sobbing associate for me to lose my nerve and leave Although I had always known that I had commitment issues I never thought I would leave Mike in his time of need. I feel like I let him down, and know instead of going back out there I am sitting on the white bathroom mat that is on the hardwood floor. I rise up onto my feet and turn on the faucet, causing water to splash onto the black walls and the circular mirror that is projecting my image back at me. Splashing the water on my face I gathered my nerve and exited back into the forest green living room. I went to sit on the couch but the sight made my blood run cold. Mike was gone, nothing but a few tear stains and a Mike sized imprint left of him. My breathing hitched as I pushed waves of panic down and tried to clear my head.

"Mike!" I yelled, praying that he was still in the apartment and hadn't tried to walk home in this part of town.

Racing around furniture and my eyes darting I spotted him. Well not exactly him but a heap of blonde hair. I rushed over there and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was curled up in a ball, clutching a bottle of water that he had collected from the mini fridge. I hoped that he was sleeping and hadn't collapsed from the strain of walking to the fridge. I rolled him over and was relieved to find him sleeping, full color in his cheeks and his breathing slow and even. I scooped him up and carried him bridal style to my modern guest room. Placing him on the maroon comforter of the queen size bed I set off to gather the items Donna had acquired.

…..

_I looked into the eyes of Jenny, her blonde hair cascading her shoulders and her perfect, pink lips. Her cheeks were rosy from the light spring breeze. She is skipping through the streets of Manhattan, her musical laugh filling up my ears. I grabbed her hand and led her to the sidewalk. She was about to hail a cab when a man showed up. He had dark eyes and equally dark hair, he smelled of alcohol and sweat. Something shiny glinted in his hand and he jabbed it into Jenny before I could register what it was. A knife, the guy had put a knife through Jenny's perfect body, whispering about Trevor and then had run. Jenny's beautiful blonde hair was getting soaked with blood, the red stain growing by the second on her brown flowy sundress. Her legs went out from under her and she collapsed to the sidewalk. I yelled for help but no one would turn around. I had to stop the bleeding; I ripped off my jacket and put pressure on the wound. Pulling my cell phone out with the other hand I went to call 911 when another call came through. I answered it even though my brain told me not to._

_ "How do you like Jenny now?" Trevor's voice flooded my ears and a laugh followed. _

_ Tears flooded my cheeks as Jenny screamed as she lost more blood. She grabbed my hand, despair and anguish lighting her blue eyes. Then she went limp._

…

I gasped, bolting upright and frantically looking for Jenny even though I knew she wouldn't be there. That dream was one I only had when I was sick last week and when I slept after pulling a couple all-nighters. I wiped away the tears with shaking hands and prayed that Harvey was around somewhere. I knew I couldn't go back to sleep and usually I would watch TV or read but without books and the TV being loud I was out of options. I went to get up and felt a draft making me shiver. Confused I looked down to see myself drowning in a pair of Harvey's black and red plaid sweatpants and a Harvard sweatshirt. I turned to check what time it was to see a glass of water, a few pills and a note.

_Mike, I hope you see this when you wake up. From the strain you put on your body(because you were dumb and continued to work) your fever came back. Take these and either go back to bed or I will be on the couch if you want to watch TV._

_-H_

A smile lit up my face that Harvey cared enough to dress me and take care of me while I was recovering from the flu. I swallowed the pills and drained the cup of water. Hydrated and far from sleep I rubbed my eyes and exited back into the forest green living room. A basketball game was on but Harvey was asleep, the remote still in his hand and his head lying on the side of the couch. I carefully lifted the remote out of his hand and turned off the game then went in search of a blanket. His apartment was huge but found a small basket of homemade blankets-from Donna- and grabbed a Harvard one. Returning to the couch I pulled the blanket over Harvey. We may seem like we don't get along but I know we will always be there for each other. Sitting in the chair by the couch I felt safer knowing Harvey was there and drifted off to sleep. _Big Brother and Little Brother together at last._

…_._

**A/N Finished at last. I hope you enjoyed my one-shot. Please review! Thank you for all your support. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suits**


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